One of the Switch's most popular titles - and one of the most popular entries in Nintendo's 32-year-old series - is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game is particularly noteworthy thanks to the way in which it breaks away from the norm of the series, ditching features that have been present from the very start, but it could have even further removed from the classic formula, as we're about to find out.

Thanks to interview snippets, concept art, and official releases talking about the game's development, it's possible to explore some of the ideas that never made it to the final release. YouTube channel Nintendo's Cut Content with Dr. Lava has shared a video which collects some of the more interesting finds, giving us a look at aliens, dinosaurs, a miniature world, and more.

Interestingly, one concept - which planned to include aliens attacking Hyrule - was going to make Link and Ganondorf team up in order to fend off the extraterrestrial threat. Elsewhere, a The Minish Cap-style miniature world was also planned - but sadly never made it - and we also get a good look at some in-game items which might have found their way into the final game under different circumstances.

Would you have liked to see any of these things in the final game? We're particularly fond of the dinosaur Divine Beast ourselves.

Ryan’s that annoying kind of guy in multiplayer games - you know the one, the kind of person that throws a temper tantrum if he can’t be Yoshi in Mario Kart or gets stuck with the controller with the dodgy button. Yeah, that kind.

Would love another game in the same timeline but another few hundred years on, more technological marvels and advancements. Maybe a gun of some sorts, harnessing the power of the guardians or some b*llocks. Another mode of transport like some sort of dune buggy?

They explored many possibilities and went a little too far with aliens.But they always develop games this way, and I'm glad the alien thing wasn't part of the game.They also plan way too much, get rid of some content and ideas but the best ideas usually make it to a future game.

@ryancraddock i don't know about the aliens but a Zelda game that links the different games as alternate universes would be nice it's not an original premise as Youkai is doing something similar but considering the lore of the different Zelda incarnations and the possible team ups between links and/or ganondorfs coulde possibly make an interesting plot device

If done well, a Link-Ganondorf team-up could be intriguing. Perhaps it could be less a “Welp, we’re all screwed unless we work together” (to be frank, I’m tired of those) and more something where Link needs more power and strikes a ‘deal with the devil’ sort of arrangement. The Legend of Zelda has long had some darker moments, and this would be a great entry point for a deeper examination of those themes.

Oh i would love something alien like. Where there is no Ganon in sight but an galactic divine entity (something like Thanos)or something like tabuu from smash. 🤔🤔 If a DLC like that would appear i will go crazy.

What if Ganon evil powers not only were destroying Hyrule, but also kept the aliens away from the planet? Now that would be an epic DLC. And to those who think that extraterrestial forces in Zelda is a ridiculous concept, they were probably one of the most interesting side quests in Majora Mask.

So we could have had actual content instead of a giant world with virtually nothing in it? Glad to have paid full price to beta test this, before being asked to pay full price again for the full release!

Neat! I can't wait for the inevitable BOTW 2. I loved BOTW, but it was a bit empty. Now that they have the concepts and engine in place, Nintendo should be able to concentrate on filling the world with interesting things. I hope they go with a more compact, diverse world and more focus on story and general weirdness (like Majora's Mask to Ocarina of Time, or Link's Awakening to Link to the Past.)

@ZeldaToThePast - that's the Lord of the Mountain you probably saw, a difficult-to-catch horse that has unlimited carrots but can't be boarded at a stable. It's meant to immortalize the late Satoru Iwata, who it represents

A couple of things will terminate my love for Legend of Zelda. Technology (if that bike, Divine Beasts and Guardians weren't made from stone and powered by magic I never would of bought Breath of the Wild. So close to going too far), guns, zombies and ALIENS! Majora's Mask was fine because the rest of the game made up for the Aliens. Any of those show up, No more Legend of Zelda for me. Which will be sad. Because LoZ is my favorite series. So please no.